When people ask me about the iPhone vs. the BlackBerry, I tell them that for my usage I prefer the BlackBerry – except for the browser. The MobiSafari browser in the iPhone is the biggest game changer on the device.
The newest beta of Opera Mini 4 is nowhere near as elegant a browsing experience as the iPhone browser, but it’s a night and day difference from the standard BlackBerry browser and it’s great to see the pan and zoom 
full browser 
interface coming to other mobile browsers.
A couple of weeks ago I needed to forward an e-mail while I was out with only my BlackBerry. Since the BlackBerry’s IMAP implementation generally sucks, I had to use the browser and webmail in order to find the e-mail and forward it.
This process would have been a whole lot easier1 with Opera Mini than it was with the built-in BlackBerry browser.
- Yes, it also would have been easier with real IMAP, which the iPhone has. [back]
That iPhone keyboard really is the only holding you back, isn’t it? You’re struggling with the browser, you’re struggling with the mail-sending capabilities, you’re struggling with the SIM card-related bugginess.
There are a couple of features on the BlackBerry that I need/prefer to the iPhone; wouldn’t surprise me if the keyboard is the only issue once Apple opens things up to 3rd party apps officially though. Perhaps the details would make a good follow-up post.
I had no idea that IMAP on the Blackberry was so lousy. People rave and rave about how great email is on the Blackberry (and, honestly, I believe it), but I had no idea it was so dependent on Blackberry’s web services to be good.
I agree that Mobile Safari is the real game changer. Just friday I was scootering to a little get together with some friends and was using Google Maps on the iPhone as my directions. Well, Google Maps was wrong, so I had to jump on the web to get the name and address of the place. It was so simple and easy, that I didn’t realize it at the time what a complex operation I was doing and how I would have hated the experience with my Treo – even with Opera mini.
thanks for the heads up on opera mini. using the browser on my curve is torture!
ryan
Yep, very much interested in knowing what’s holding you back.
[…] Morris asks a good question on my previous post discussing mobile browsers: That iPhone keyboard really is the only holding you […]
I’ve been using Opera 4 beta on my BB for a while and I love it. The only problem I have with it is copying the web address of the page you’re on. I can’t figure out how to do it. You can look at the page properties and see the address, but I can’t figure out how to copy it.
I usually end up firing up the Blackberry Browser and googling the page so I can copy the address.
That is great